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What is cryptocurrency?
Cryptographic currency is a decentralized digital currency supporting blockchain technology. You will be familiar with the most popular versions, Bitcoin and Ethereum, but there are quite a few 5,000 different cryptocurrencies in circulation, consistent with CoinLore.

You can use cryptocurrency to buy regular goods and services, although many of us invest in cryptocurrency just like investing in other assets (such as stocks or precious metals). Although cryptocurrency may be a novel and exciting asset class, buying it is usually risky because you want to do a lot of research to fully understand how each system works.

How does cryptocurrency work?

Cryptographic currency can be a digital, encrypted and decentralized exchange medium. Unlike the dollar or the euro, there is no central organization to manage and maintain the value of cryptocurrencies. On the contrary, these tasks are widely distributed among users of cryptocurrency through the network.

Bitcoin is the main cryptocurrency, which was first proposed by Satoshi Nakamoto in a paper entitled "Bitcoin: Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System" in 2008. Nakamoto described the project as "an electronic payment system that supports encryption proof rather than trust".

Encryption certificates belong to transactions verified and recorded in a program called blockchain.

What is a blockchain?

Blockchain is an open distributed ledger that records transactions with code. In fact, it is a touch checkbook, which is distributed on countless computers all over the world. Transactions are recorded in "blocks" and then linked together on the "chain" of previous cryptocurrency transactions.

Buchi Okoro, CEO and co-founder of Quidax, an African cryptocurrency exchange, said, "Imagine a book in which you can write down everything you spend every day." "Every page is similar to a wooden block, so the whole book, a pile of pages, may be a blockchain."

With the blockchain, everyone who uses cryptocurrency has his own copy of this book and makes a unified transaction record. The software will record every new transaction as it happens, and each copy of the blockchain will be updated with the new information at the same time, so that all records are consistent and accurate.

In order to prevent fraud, every transaction is checked by one of two main verification techniques: labor certificate or equity certificate.

How can we mine cryptocurrency?

Mining is a way to release new cryptocurrency units to the earth, usually in exchange for verification transactions. Although ordinary people can theoretically mine cryptocurrency, it is more and more difficult under the labor certification system like Bitcoin.

"With the development of Bitcoin network, it becomes more and more complex and needs more processing power," said Spencer Montgomery, founder of Uinta Crypto Consulting. "Ordinary consumers want to be prepared, but it's too expensive now. Too many of us have optimized their equipment and technology and cannot win in the competition. "

Please remember: labor certificate cryptocurrency needs a lot of energy to mine. It is estimated that 0.2 1% of the world's electricity is used to power bitcoin farms. This is roughly equivalent to the electricity consumption of Switzerland in one year. It is estimated that most bitcoin miners find themselves using 60% to 80% of their mining income to hide their electricity bills.

Although it is unrealistic for ordinary people to earn cryptocurrency by mining in the labor certification system, the demand for high-performance computing in the equity certification model is low, because the verifiers are randomly selected and support the numbers they hold. However, it does require that you have only one cryptocurrency to participate. If you don't have cryptocurrency, you have nothing to gamble on. )

How do you use cryptocurrency?

You can use cryptocurrency to make purchases, but this is not a mainstream payment method. Some online retailers such as bedding, furniture, electronic products, jewelry and clothing accept Bitcoin, which is far from normal. However, this may change in the near future. PayPal, the payment giant, recently announced the launch of an alternative service that allows customers to buy, hold and sell cryptocurrencies from their PayPal accounts.

"This is huge," Montgomery said. "If PayPal is regarded as a bank, they will become the 2nd1largest bank in the world, and they are providing access to all or any users. They make it easier for people to send cryptocurrencies. "

Before cryptocurrency is more widely accepted, you will solve the current restrictions by exchanging cryptocurrency for gift cards. For example, in eGifter, you will use bitcoin to buy gift cards from Dunkin Donuts, Target and Apple, and choose other retailers and restaurants. You can even load cryptocurrency into an open credit line to form a purchase. In the United States, you will sign in a BitPay card, which is an open credit card that can convert encrypted assets into dollars for purchase, but for example, when ordering a cardboard and using it for ATM withdrawal, you need to pay a fee.

You can also use cryptocurrency as an alternative investment option other than stocks and bonds. "Bitcoin, the most famous cryptocurrency, may be a safe and decentralized currency, and it has become as useful as gold," said David Zeiler, cryptocurrency expert and deputy editor-in-chief of Money Morning, a financial news website. "Some people even call it' digital gold'."